On August 9, 2023, the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses (SDPU) initiative, facilitated by CRDF Global, hosted a side event at the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom) in Vienna, Austria. The side event, titled The SDPU: A Renewed Pursuit of the UN SDGs Through Nuclear Science and Technology, discussed the SDPU program and its focus on improving access to nuclear science and technology for developing states and to make progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The event also discussed the outcomes of the initiative’s first two workshop series held earlier this year in Amman, Jordan, and Accra, Ghana, focused on water security and healthcare access respectively.
A panel discussion during the side event included key representatives from this initial programming. Engineer Muna Gharabeih of the Water Authority of Jordan spoke on the outcomes of the Workshop Series on Water and Resource Management Using Isotopic Techniques in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The discussions in Jordan focused on how to stabilize water access and improve resource availability in the MENA region. Project concepts produced as an outcome of the event aimed to leverage opportunities and target data standardization, personnel, and equipment challenges in water resource management as they relate to nuclear and isotopic techniques.
Another panelist Dr. Baffour Awuah of the Ministry of Health, Ghana, spoke on the outcomes of the Workshop Series on Improving Access to Radiation Medicine in West Africa. The recent discussions in Accra focused on development challenges and opportunities in the overlap between healthcare and technology with the outcome of project concepts to increase access to radiology and radiotherapy in West Africa.
Mr. Shota Kamishima also contributed to the panel by discussing how the IAEA has contributed to the planning of SDPU activities around the world. The IAEA is a key partner of the program and SDPU efforts are designed to complement and build upon the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative and related activities.
This side event aimed to expand awareness of the SDPU and inspire collaboration among delegations on the third pillar of the NPT by providing an overview of SDPU activities to date. By sharing the perspectives of SDPU champions on their paths to improve peaceful nuclear technology use, the side event served to empower and encourage participants to contribute to future SDPU activities.
CRDF Global appreciates the Water Authority of Jordan, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, and all previous participants of SDPU workshops for their thoughtful contributions to the discussion on expanding access to peaceful uses of nuclear technology in pursuit of UN SDGs.
This event and the SDPU are jointly funded by the U.S. Department of State and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DENSZ). For more information about this program, go to its event page.
